Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Kissing Kin by Karen Hulene Bartell NBTM Virtual Book Tour

KISSING KIN

by Karen Hulene Bartell


The following scene is one of my favorites in Kissing Kin because it embodies the paranormal romance’s central dramatic question. It’s the moment when Maeve and Luke begin questioning whether their budding feelings for each other are their own--or are prompted by some supernatural force.

****

The vineyard reflected the rusty-red tones of the late winter sunset. 

Dusk. I held back a sigh as I glimpsed the winery and cozy cabin. Heartrending in its homey beauty, the scene tugged at my earliest recollections. 

The child of vagabond parents, I was often on the road at dusk, just as the lights began coming on in the houses we passed. Growing up without a permanent address, I fantasized about living in one of those comfortable homes instead of viewing them through the car window. 

“Gets dark early in the mountains.” Luke caught my gaze, did a double take, then stared. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“Your hair…” 

“Is something on it?” I swiped at my head. 

“No.” He chuckled. “The sunset captures your hair’s highlights--gives it a reddish glow.” 

“Oh.” Pleasantly surprised, I gave a nervous laugh as the heat crept to my cheeks. “Thanks.” 

He reached out his hand and hesitated. “May I?” 

“Sure.” Wondering what he was doing, I quivered as his hand swept my hair behind my ear. As arousing as a caress, the gesture sent a shockwave through my body. 

Then his hand molded itself just above my neck, gently supporting my head as he leaned toward me. 

Without warning, I ached to feel his mouth on mine. 

He leaned closer. 

His warm breath tickling, I met him in a rush of hormones and adrenalin. Then lifting my lips, I closed my eyes, reveling in the give and take of his kiss. 

Only Teddy’s insistent bark woke me from the daze. 

Then, like a fly buzzing at the window, a high-pitched sound droned--squeak…squeak…squeak--as the chair rocked back and forth on the patio. 

In the fading twilight, a nearly transparent silhouette emerged. 

I pulled away with a scream, and the image vanished. 

“What?” He followed my stare. 

“I saw a woman…cradling a baby…” I spoke without turning toward him, watching as the chair gradually slowed its rocking, then came to a standstill. “What’s going on?”

****

An orphan, Maeve Jackson has always yearned for a home and family, but now that she’s starting over after a broken engagement, as well as mustering out of the Army, she’s drawn more than ever before. Add to this a strong physical attraction to Luke that’s apparently reciprocated, and her heart’s racing.

But this haunted cabin--along with ancestors that have bones to pick--kickstart a five-generation mystery. Maeve can't help but wonder: Is her attraction to Luke physical…or metaphysical?



Paranormal Romance



Maeve Jackson is starting over after a broken engagement—and mustering out of the Army. No job and no prospects, she spins out on black ice and totals her car.


When struggling vintner Luke Kaylor stops to help, they discover they’re distantly related. On a shoestring budget to convert his vineyard into a winery, he makes her a deal: prune grapevines in exchange for room and board.


But forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin kickstart a five-generational mystery with ancestors that have bones to pick. As carnal urges propel them into each other’s arms, they wonder: Is their attraction physical…or metaphysical?


Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Kissing-Trans-Pecos-Karen-Hulene-Bartell-ebook/dp/B0CRJ6P13V/ref=sr_1_1

Our shoulders rubbed each time we moved. The downy hairs on the back of my neck tickling from the electricity passing between us, I shivered as the currents barreled down my spine.


“Cold?” Eyes wide, he caught my gaze.


I opened my mouth to speak but, forgetting what I meant to say, lost myself in his inviting brown eyes and could only nod.


He reached his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, sharing his body warmth.


With the faint scents of leather and saddle soap wafting from his jacket, his nearness was intoxicating, and I was tempted to lean into a kiss. Yet huddled together on the bone-chilling ledge, I gazed instead at the rugged wilderness surrounding us, content to savor the sweet ache of longing. If more is meant to be, it’ll happen.


Then thoughts of Cody froze me like a blue norther. Why did he come to mind?


****


So close, Luke felt the rise and fall of her chest each time she breathed. Her hair tickled his ear, raising goosebumps--and possibilities. If she turns toward me or gives any sign…But her sigh signaled something else. He side-glanced to read her mood, but she stared at the scenery, apparently oblivious of his rising libido.


“Want…” His voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Want some water?”


“Sure.” She turned her head quickly, her hair brushing his cheek with a citrus scent.



Author of the Trans-Pecos and Sacred Emblem series, Karen is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life, who writes multicultural, offbeat love stories. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved often, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.


Connect with Karen: 


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell

MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/karenbartell 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/    

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell   

Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/  

Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/ 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/  



A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.


Monday, March 18, 2024

✱✱Book Review✱✱ This Much Is True by Adriana Locke Release Blitz

 


When celebrity Laina Kelley bolted from her small hometown church on her wedding day, she ran to the first place that came to mind—to the home of the local farrier, a gorgeous playboy who just so happens to be her first love ... and biggest frenemy. 


This Much Is True by Adriana Locke is now live! 


USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke delivers a new “sweet and spicy!” standalone romance about a runaway bride who finds herself in the arms, and horse barn, of her deliciously handsome frenemy—who just so happens to be her first love.


This isn’t your average romance. It begins with me in a wedding dress, just not at an altar …


I never expected to be a runaway bride. I also never thought I’d end up on my ex’s doorstep to flee from said wedding. Now that I’m here, it’s easy to find the key in an old boot by the door and let myself inside. It’s not breaking and entering if I have a key, right?


It’s safe to say that Luke Marshall didn’t expect to find me on his couch in my wedding dress, my veil over my face in tears. He has no choice but to listen to my panic-induced plea for salvation. It’s only a matter of time before the tabloids get wind of my disappearing act, and my life is over.


Luke takes pity on me and says I can stay… on one condition.


I can’t sing for my supper—I have to earn it. I have to work in the barn alongside him, up to my elbows in horse manure. Oh—and because there’s only one bed, I get the couch.


This works … in theory. However, when sparks start flying, and the small-town farrier asks me to stay, I’ll have to decide between my life as a pop star or a second chance with my first love.



  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited


Amazon: https://amzn.to/485qtCr

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/TMIT


Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3ukwoFJ


Momma Says: 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another great couple in the Marshall family! Luke and Laina are so easy to root for. They're adorable, both together and separately, and their second-chance story is so much fun. That's not to say there are no hurdles to jump. My heart broke for Laina, but at the same time, I was cheering her on as she stood up for herself. I also did a fair amount of cheering when the confrontation I was hoping for happened and some just desserts were handed out. Once you've read this one, I'm sure you'll understand what I'm talking about, and hopefully, you'll be doing some cheering of your own. If you haven't met the Marshalls, I highly recommend it. This is the second in the series, and while things in the first book are referenced, both can be read as standalones - not that you'll want to miss either of them. What it comes down to is Adriana Locke has done it again. A totally lovable couple that I'll be visiting again and again. 

Meet Adriana



USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author, Adriana Locke, writes contemporary romances about the two things she knows best—big families and small towns. Her stories are about ordinary people finding extraordinary love with the perfect combination of heart, heat, and humor.

She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden.

Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.

 

Connect with Adriana 


Website: www.adrianalocke.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379774.Adriana_Locke

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Adriana-Locke/author/B00NPBY8FE/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoradrianalocke

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/booksbyadrianalocke

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoradrianalocke

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/authoralocke

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrianalockewrites 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-locke

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authoradrianalo

Other: https://www.youtube.com/adrianalocke

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/adrianalocke

   


The Poison Dart Tour and Giveaway

 


Some tales don’t want to be told. They’re shrouded in the dark and cloaked in danger. Sensible people leave those mysteries well enough alone. But not Debbie Bradley. After all, that’s how she makes her living. 


The Poison Dart

Debbie Bradley Crime Mysteries Book 2

by Geri Dreiling

Genre: Mystery, Thriller 

An overdose. A drug bust. A captive of the cartel. When fates collide, who will survive?


The ripple effects of an overdose send shock waves through a community.
A sweeping drug bust upends lives, exposing the cartel's deep reach into the Midwest.
A quest for a better life threatens to destroy a family.
As Debbie Bradley digs deeper into each story, startling connections emerge. When fates collide, who will survive?


What readers are saying:

“The narrative contains the right blend of mystery, crime scenes and action. It is one of those books that keeps one glued until the very end.“

“Dreiling relies more on intelligent conversations, on the proper and strategic use of lies, and on wordplay“

“Grab or download a copy, curl up with a blanket on the couch, and enjoy this good read and solid, accurate, crime story with interesting twists and turns.“

“With a talent for plot creation, patiently unwinding the threads of all angles, and never lacking for excitement, Dreiling is an author you will want to read time and time again.“


Amazon * Left Bank Books * Bookbub * Goodreads


Just seeing the lighter made Caleb’s body tingle. He’d been dreaming of this moment for sixty days. Even when he was sitting in group, claiming he was done, he knew it wasn’t true. He’d say whatever he had to just to get out. There were times that, yes, when his parents came, he felt bad. His mom would cry. His dad would remain the aloof motherfucker he always was. But his mom. That was different. Sometimes he thought he should change for her. But his mom was just no match for heroin. 

Caleb put the brown powder in the spoon from his kit. He opened the vial of distilled water. If you were going to get high, you might as well do it with style. Caleb gently moved the flame under the heroin. Slowly, evenly, he applied the heat’s gentle kisses to the drug, melting it with his slow caress. 

Caleb pulled out a syringe. He put the needle in, pulled the plunger up, then flicked the side of the syringe to force the air bubbles up. Caleb removed the rubber tube tied around his upper arm and pushed the needle into his arm. Since he hadn’t shot up for two months, the purple vein in his arm had ample time to heal. 

Liquid peace, Caleb thought as his body welcomed its old friend. 

Caleb slumped back on the couch, briefly taking in Macie as she stood on his balcony. Her back was to them, but he could tell she was jittery by how she rubbed her hands against her thighs. 

“Good ol’ Mace,” Caleb mumbled. His head, too heavy for his neck, lolled back onto the couch.

Alex picked up the spoon, ready to repeat the process with his stash. His attention focused on prepping his dose. It wasn’t until he’d shot up that he looked over at his motionless friend.

“Hey, Macie,” Alex called out, “Caleb’s noddin’.” 

Macie turned around and walked back into the living room. Just in case.

She noticed Caleb’s lips turning blue. His head was back, gurgling noises coming from his throat.

Macie pushed Caleb’s shoulder. “Caleb,” she said firmly. “Cut it out. This isn’t funny.”

Caleb didn’t move.


Crime Beat Girl

Debbie Bradley Crime Mysteries Book 1


A girl is dead. A boy is locked up. Can Debbie Bradley discover the truth before more lives are lost…maybe even her own?

A series of deadly shootings. An outbreak of stolen cars. When journalist Debbie Bradley returns home to St. Louis, the summer crime wave has started. And she’s in the center: A witness, a reporter, a target.

Debbie’s reasons for leaving behind her promising career in Washington D.C. were complicated. Her mother, a prominent lawyer, was diagnosed with cancer. Her engagement was cooling. When she got offered a job in St. Louis that she hadn’t been looking for, Debbie recognized an opportunity. Or an escape.

But she didn’t expect to come home and see a girl die. Debbie never planned to investigate a boy behind bars. And she didn’t anticipate colliding with hostile cops and wary politicians.

As her work gains attention, Debbie gathers enemies. Will her assignment to cover the St. Louis crime beat be her last?


What readers are saying:

“Intense crime story full of unexpected twists and turns” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review


“Gripping crime story…with deep themes and highlighting very real problems” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review


“A page-turner, engaging the reader from the first page to the last” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review


Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads




Geri L. Dreiling is the author of Crime Beat Girl, the debut novel in the Debbie Bradley Mystery series, which received seven book awards. She is also the author of Erasing the Past. Dreiling is an award-winning journalist as well as professor and lawyer. She lives in St. Louis.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon


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Code of Reanimation Blitz

 

Spin-off of the Father of Contention series

 

Paranormal Thriller, Science Fiction, Horror

Date Published: 11-14-2023

 

 

Freedom is a state of mind.

Brigita Nowak has only ever wanted one thing—her freedom. Labelled psychotic and committed to a mental institution at seventeen, she missed the chance of a “normal” life. She never held a job, owned her own place, or experienced love. Until now.

After awakening sprawled on the common room floor—the hospital in ruins, the staff and patients missing—she realizes it’s her chance to escape. Seeking sanctuary with her sister, she meets “the boyfriend” Renner Scholz, a vile yet brilliant geneticist. He has developed a bioweapon, the Code of Reanimation, destined to destroy the world. Or so Brigita believes. She’s been seeing zombie hallucinations as of late, a sure premonition of the highly contagious bioweapon getting out of hand. Why the connection? Because the bioweapon reanimates dead organisms into bloodthirsty killing machines.

Brigita has typically experienced death-based hallucinations, blamed on her mental illness. She, however, always felt they were psychic premonitions. Convinced that Renner intends to release the bioweapon at a public fundraising event, she teams up with a handsome love interest to thwart the catastrophe. But, as Brigita’s visions kick into hyperdrive and timelines blur, she must determine which events are based on reality or delusional constructs of her subconscious mind...

before it’s too late.


About the Author

Lanie Mores is the award-winning author of the science fiction and fantasy book series, Father of Contention. She has an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree, a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, and she is an active member of the Canadian Authors Association. When she isn't writing, you'll find her reading, binge-watching Netflix, baking, and slaughtering zombies and other monsters on her Xbox. She lives in Ontario with her family and forever barking fur babies, Batman and Petri.

 

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RABT Book Tours & PR

The Desk From Hoboken Virtual Book Tour

 

A Genealogy Mystery Series


Mystery

Date Published: March 5, 2024

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

 

 

In a bid to heal from the grief of a personal loss, forensic genealogist, RaeJean Hunter, takes on a straightforward case —identify human remains found on a nearby college campus, believed to be the 180-year-old remains of Mary Rogers, a woman who died mysteriously in 1841 and was believed to have been buried in the nearby cemetery that had washed away. It should be simple enough, a project to get her back in the game.

Unfortunately, it quickly becomes anything but. In fact, it becomes downright dangerous.

Someone doesn't want RaeJean to investigate the puzzling death of the woman whose death inspired Edgar Allan Poe's "The Mystery of Marie Roget." As she follows clues through four states and discovers living family members who both help and hinder her search, she quickly realizes that the secrets of Mary Rogers' demise were never meant to be exposed.

What lengths will someone go to keep the truth buried in the past? As threats escalate and RaeJean and her family's lives become endangered, she's forced to follow every lead and use every skill she has to find the answers she needs before it's too late. Using DNA from two famous New England families, historical data, modern genealogical techniques, and a little guidance from a seemingly mystical antique desk, RaeJean takes on the cold case despite being given every reason to abandon it.

After all, what truths have been hidden for 180 years that would be worth bribery, kidnapping, and even murder?

RaeJean Hunter is about to find out.


 

About the Author

ML Condike has published short stories in anthologies that include Strange & Sweet, (2019), Tall Tales and Timeless Stories, (2022), Malice in Dallas, Metroplex Mysteries, Volume 1 (2022), and won first place in the fifteenth annual Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards, Mystery/Crime category (2019), and 2nd Place in the Tennessee Williams Short Story Contest, Key West Art & Historical Society (2022).

She’s an associate member of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime North Dallas (Treasurer), Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild.

As the result of her study of genealogy for her debut novel The Desk from Hoboken, she researched her own family and she discovered she had a direct bloodline to a Patriot. So, most recently she has been inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).


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RABT Book Tours & PR

Kissing Kin by Karen Hulene Bartell NBTM Virtual Book Tour

KISSING KIN by Karen Hulene Bartell The following scene is one of my favorites in Kissing Kin because it embodies the paranormal romance’s c...